TAMPA MYTHS / URBAN LEGENDS / PARANORMAL ACTIVITY

78 months ago

Tampa Myths......

Displaying posts 1 - 30 out of 33.

Dana Callahan

Okay, can anyone remember a story about a family that lived out at the end of Cypress near the bay (now nothing but lots of business buildings are there)? I never made the drive by, but several of my friends told stories about a family that had a house out there. I can't even remember what was suppose to be so odd about the family. Were they little people? Were they deformed?

I graduated in 1980, so that gives you an idea on when the story was circulating.

over a year ago · ·

Jinny Barksdale Mansolillo

I remember some story about trolls out there. Never heard about a family, just that there were trolls. I graduated in 83, so that would be about the time the story was circulating.

over a year ago · ·

George Lance Waring

There was a guy out in Quail Hallow that they said was a warlock. I forgot his name, I went and met him. He was an artist but I don't think he had powers.

over a year ago · ·

Russell Bly

We were going to buy a lot next door to the Warlock about 20 years ago, but it was just too creepy! We opted for East of I75 instead. It must have been "special" on Halloween!

over a year ago · ·

George Lance Waring

Ahhh, his name was Lewis Van Dercar, he has a myspace page but apparently has moved on.

over a year ago · ·

Laura Almand Gonzalez

And his wife looked like a less pretty Morticia! Long black hair and all

over a year ago · ·

Elaine Lopez

Never heard about this one. Gee, now I feel like I lived a sheltered life.

over a year ago · ·

Karen Garcia Patterson

Does anyone remember MacIntosh, in Riverside Heights near Duran park? There was an old house & greenhouse on riverfront property , and legends about an old man who was a recluse,his cow & dog.

over a year ago · ·

Adrianne Serrano Proeller

Trolls! i graduated in 78 and we used to go out there when there was a dirt road that ran through some dark palmettos /trees. and all your friends would swear that they saw trolls out there. I know exactly the area you are talking about -- it was big story and a fun thing to do with Academy and Plant kids.

over a year ago · ·

Glenda Garcia

When we used to skip classes at Jefferson,we would often drive down to the end of Cypress and watch the cows, there was a farm.

over a year ago · ·

Glenda Garcia

If you are talking about the warlock,Lewis Van Dercar, he lived in Pasco county. He used to have great Halloween parties,in the dome house that he built surrounding a tree.

He passed away about 17 years ago.

over a year ago · ·

Lou Garcia

Ditto re. the Trolls at the end of Cypress Street. I graduated from Jefferson High School '75 and this urban myth was buzzing around JHS for several years. One day a friend and I ventured out there, parking the car a half-block away, walking the rest of the way in the cover of darkness. There was an old run-down homestead -- just the stuff of trolls. As we approached a broken down fence, some big dogs started barking. We saw their dark figures, dobermans maybe, red eyes, etc. running towards us -- tied to their chains. A man came out of the house. Could it be a troll? Hell no! Just some old redneck guy cussing, demanding we leave if we knew what was good for us.

We didn't argue. My friend, Jack Valenti still swears they were trolls. It was fun!

over a year ago · ·

Kevin Rott

The Warlock use to hide Halloween invitations in the classified section of the Tribune, and if you were lucky enough to find one you were in for one heck of a party. He had his house rigged with switches that he would step on to make you think he was turning lights on and off with his powers. And the nomes all over his property.

over a year ago · ·

R Wayne Ramos

Do you remember the monster of GrandPappys Bayou?

over a year ago · ·

Mary Martin

The Warlock's son used to teach Psyhology at USF. I don't know if he is still there.

Those were some good Halloween parties!

over a year ago · ·

Mary Martin

I used to have several pieces of his art, including a couple unicorns, but gave most of them away. I think the only one I have left is the "People Watcher".

over a year ago · ·

Susan Gruber Bakewell

His son David lived next to my in-laws in Tampa for a while. He was a psychologist, then became a physician. His then-wife is now a judge in Pasco County, but not sure if they're still married. He took our wedding photos as a gift to us. Very interesting family.

over a year ago · ·

Lou Garcia

Chick Nunez once told me that there was the myth/legend of a very active witches coven in south/Port Tampa that were greatly feared, yet highly secretive. Any confirmations on this?

over a year ago · ·

Sally Hester Núñez

My best friend grew up in Port Tampa and I spent a lot of time there, I never heard anything like this, but you never know??

over a year ago · ·

Claudia Mitchell

Vandercar was the warlock in Quail Hollow. We use to get high and drive out there at night. He use to have wierd parties. I met him once, and even bought a couple of statues from him later on....my very first gargoyle still sits on my front porch..I bought it from him. Don't know if he was special or not, but he was strange!

over a year ago · ·

Claudia Mitchell

Yep. I never got to go there, but plenty of my friends from junior and high school said they did.

over a year ago · ·

Susan Gruber Bakewell

Are you talking about the old TB hospital that's where Blake High School is now? I went there, but was too afraid to go inside, so sat in the car while the rest of the kids did. People said there were iron lungs in the hallways. No way I was going in there!

over a year ago · ·

Mary Alberte Mahoney

The TB hospital was near the intersection of Dale Mabry and MLK, approximately where Legends Field is. In fact, that entire block from Tampa Bay Blvd to MLK was State property. I remember going with my Girl Scout troop in 1959 or 1960 to sing Xmas carols to the patients. Later, it was converted into an office building and medical clinic, but al the offices still looked like the patient rooms. There were roaches everywhere.

Blake HS was built on the site of a hospital for blacks. In the days before integration, blacks were not allowed in white hospitals. Glad those days are long gone!

over a year ago · ·

Ed Perez

Lewis Van Dercar passed away in 1988. The is a Yahoo group dedicated to him. His daughter Candy is in politics in Pasco county. He was featured in an old issue of some adult magazine back in the late 70's or early 80's.

over a year ago · ·

Claudia Mitchell

He was also on the TV show "Real People" in the early 80's. I'll have to check out the yahoo group.

over a year ago · ·

Alan Solowitz

I worked at Schulsatd Motors in the late 70s, early 80s, and Mrs. Van De Carr would come in regularly to buy parts for her Jeep. Having heard all of the rumors, I was surprised at just how normal she really was.

over a year ago · ·

Lisa Kersey

Gee, Glenda--watching cows? When we skipped we went to Sand Key/Clearwater Beach! But, ok, other times if it was just one period we'd just drive around, go eat, etc. (Jefferson class of '77)

over a year ago · ·

Susan Gruber Bakewell

Candy VanDercar is his daughter-in-law. David VanDercar is his son. They used to live next to my in-laws in Tampa.

over a year ago · ·

Displaying posts 31 - 33 out of 33.

Shell Knox

I'm surprised not to find a story about the female ghost that walks the railroad trestle at Rowlett Park. I don't know the details because I never paid attention to such things.

over a year ago · ·

Vicki Johnson Blake

R. Wayne Ramos>> Would you be talking about the monster-thing that ran through Bayou Grande in Shore Acres back around '68 or so?? The "rock-throwing" thing??

about 10 months ago · ·

R Wayne Ramos

Vicki, I think that was the area. The story I heard is that some Japanese POW's were camped there and ran in to the swamp, but were found later ripped to pieces. Some said it glowed, so I guess it could have thrown rocks.

about 9 months ago · ·

Like this post to subscribe to the topic.

78 months ago

@Shell Knox: My brother used to talk about the Haunted trestle near Rowlett Park. He would turn white when he talked about the hauntings there. He not only spoke of the female ghost but of a child ghost. He and his friends used to have parties there at night and see the ghosts. Then, he said, a VERY malevolent spirit came there and made it clear they were NOT welcome. He hasn't been there since and will not go. He wouldn't even tell me where it was. I had to find out from a mutual friend almost 20 years after my brother Thor first told me about it.

78 months ago

David, you should locate Shell Knox on Facebook and send her a message with a link to this discussion topic. All the comments you see above were pasted there by me from the old Tampa Natives group site, so nobody who posted above will get a FB notice that you made your comment here. It's an unfortunate consequence of our old group being deleted by Facebook. Thanks for your comment, I've never heard of this haunting, but it does sound scary enough for me not to ever go there!

28 months ago

I grew up at the house on San Louis and Church with the big oak three in front (they built another house in the front yard after we left in the early 70's.) The house was in my family since around the turn of the 20th century. It was most definitely haunted, I think maybe my great grandmother. And no I'm not a kook. I've often though of going back there and asking the people living there now if they've had any strange experiences, we sure did. Not in a bad way, more of the mischievous kind.